Ombudsman: Public must report all corrupt acts

The public must join the fight against corruption and should report all such instances to authorities so that something can be done about them, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said Wednesday.

Morales said a survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman showed that 10 percent of some 26,000 citizens had reported experiencing corruption.

But out of those who were asked to pay bribes, 99 percent did not report the incident to authorities.

The survey on experience with corruption in the country was initiated two years ago and was conducted by the National Statistics Office. It was a rider to the 2010 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey conducted by the NSO.

Awareness

“I hope that we will encourage all persons who are asked to give grease money to report them because if they do not report, what can we do? It is as if we are tolerating the incidents of corruption,” Morales said in a speech at the Quezon City Circle after the Office of the Ombudsman’s indignation march against corruption for its 24th anniversary.

The 70-year-old Morales herself joined the march, walking from her office on Agham Road to the elliptical road in Quezon City.

The Ombudsman said her agency was continuing the fight against corruption and wants the public to join in. The indignation rally was part of its efforts to raise public awareness about the issue.

“Why indignation? We are indignant because the wave of corruption does not seem to end. It has bothered us for years on end, but there seems to be no end in sight of this corruption,” she said.

She expressed the hope that citizens would take part in the fight against corruption, which she said should be everyone’s concern.

Public assistance desks

Part of the move to get the public involved was the setting up of public assistance desks at local government offices in Metro Manila to receive complaints and provide assistance in getting their claims from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, the Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System.

The Office of the Ombudsman would also embark on a payroll verification exercise to weed out ghost employees in its own offices. Similar exercises would be done in other cities, towns and provinces.